Pocono reptile farm ssstill here after all these years

During its heyday, the Marshalls Creek wildlife farm had been a favored attraction in the Poconos. Today, Pocono Snake and Animal Farm draws tourists and residents alike.

JANIS DAHLMAN

In 1964, a truck explosion on Route 209 in Marshalls Creek killed six people and leveled the nearby Pocono Reptile Farm. A year later, owner Harold Livingston reopened his farm in Bushkill.

The new attraction had about 150 snakes but lacked the luster of the former business.

No birds. No monkeys. No alligators.

The site was to be temporary as Livingston waited for the outcome of a lawsuit brought on by the explosion.

Originally from Texas, Livingston and his wife had been associated with reptile farms in the local area for about 11 years. The two eventually moved to West Virginia, according to a 2007 Pocono Record article.

During its heyday, Livingston's wildlife farm had been a favored attraction in the Poconos. Today, Pocono Snake and Animal Farm draws tourists and residents alike.

In 1969, five years after the devastating truck explosion, John "Jack" Lowris, a former sergeant with Bristol Township Police Department, had decided to give up police work and go where his fascination for reptiles took him.

He opened Pocono Snake and Animal Farm, unrelated to the former Pocono Reptile Farm but not far from the explosion site. Although he met with some resistance from people who hadn't forgotten about devastation, the attraction flourished.

Lowris and his animals were frequent guests at local gatherings and on national television shows, including those hosted by Dick Cavett, Mike Douglas, Jay Leno, Rosie O'Donnell and Maury Povich.

Among his local appearances, Lowris was a featured speaker in 1971 at a meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police held at Stroudsburg Municipal Building. He brought along some specimens from the farm, including a Gila monster.

He also volunteered his services at Monroe County's first conservation camp in 1975, presenting a lecture and garbage can full of rattlesnakes for inspection by the campers.

Lowris, who operated the unique family-owned farm until his semi-retirement in 2001, considered the animals to be part of the family. He died in 2006.

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